by Pearl Salkin

Just because the leaves on the trees are no longer green on Halloween and Thanksgiving doesn’t mean our efforts to preserve the planet have to shrivel up and die, too. Autumn holidays are easy to celebrate in a safe, sustainable manner, and one that won‘t bust the budget either.

If the thought of buying PVC pumpkins, petroleum-based candles or any of the other hundreds of Halloween products that harm the environment makes you too sick to feel like partying, take heart. With a little creativity, some simple supplies and a pinch of common sense, you can cook up a witch’s brew of awesome decorations that will set your spirit soaring.

Before you start thinking about decorating details for the inside of your Halloween home, make a plan for the front yard. Since lots of mini goblins and ghouls will be scouring your street for treats, make sure you trick out your property with sufficient lighting.

Many manufacturers make solar powered path and walkway lights. Prices have come down considerably for these small, photovoltaic (PV) panel units over the past few years and quality has gone up. The current LED models come in a variety of styles and materials to satisfy your inner decorator and give your home a touch of class. All absorb and store the sun’s energy during the day, and most have automatic light sensors that turn on the fixture at dusk. And once you make that minimal investment, you will be rewarded with many hours of free power to the people.

What would autumn be without a stuffed scarecrow? Autumn. Trick question. But without this guy, it would be a bit boring.

There’s something warm and fuzzy about seeing this friendly fellow seated outside a home’s front door. Sure, you can go to any big box store this time of year and buy one readymade. But do you want to waste your money on something made of questionable materials that comes from someplace where cheap and unsafe are the watchwords?  It’s a risk that’s not worth taking.

Making a green buddy to watch over your front door is a simple project. Just go through your closet and pick out a long sleeved shirt and a pair of pants that have seen better days and are ripe for the rag pile. Knot the bottoms of the legs and the shirt cuffs, and stuff with newspaper or straw.  Give the character some gloves and shoes. Make a head out of a wad of newspaper and put that into an old pair of pantyhose. With some non-toxic paint, give your guy a happy face, and top off your masterpiece with an old straw hat.

Out of hats? No problem. A trip to the local thrift store is always a great way to find a straw hat or any old item that you’d like to grant a new life. White bed sheets, frequently found at charity shops (hotels often donate their old sheets), are great for making ghostly figures for both inside and outside your house.

Nothing says autumn like a real live pumpkin. Whether you want to make jack-o-lanterns for indoor and outside decoration or you have a hankering for pumpkin pie, buy locally grown pumpkins, organic, if at all possible. Whatever the purpose for making the purchase, each pumpkin comes packed with a wonderful bonus - seeds. These nutritious treats are easy to roast in the oven.

Produce peppered with pesticides have no place at the dinner table or even on your front porch. Obviously,  you would not want your family to eat something that is tainted with chemicals. But how could you sleep at night knowing that neighborhood critters could be nibbling on something noxious right outside your door?

If you choose to make a fake pumpkin decoration, a latex balloon serves as a good base for a simple, paper mache project. Do not use Mylar balloons! Unlike latex, they are not biodegradable and can lurk in a landfill for hundreds of years. Blow up a 9 inch balloon, cover it with strips of old newspaper dipped in flour-and-water paste… Getting down and dirty for this project is a liberating experience that will make you feel like a kid again!

For Thanksgiving, the best way to tackle that decorating dilemma is to go back to basics. It’s a harvest festival, a time to give thanks for the bounty that we receive from the earth every day. So when did it become a buy-some-laden-with-lead, turkey-with-trimmings serving plates and put-up-a-Styrofoam-wreath-covered-with-plastic-pinecones event?

If you want to decorate your front door with a wreath, use dried grapevines or an old wire hanger as the base. Real pine cones, chestnuts, acorns and even palm fronds can be used to give your door décor a local, holiday feel.

For a sensational centerpiece, go with the traditional arrangement of gourds and Indian corn or think apples, the official fruit of fall. They come in a rainbow of colors, and a big bowl on the dining room table also provides something nourishing to munch on, should dinner be running late.

Another way to dress up your place on Thanksgiving Day is with a bouquet of autumn roses made from maple leaves. It’s not as complicated as it sounds, and simple, photographic instructions can be seen at http://haha.nu/creative/how-to-make-roses-from-maple-leaves/
Candles are a wonderful source of light and holiday spirit. Placed inside a carved and hollowed out pumpkin or in fancy candlesticks on the Thanksgiving dinner table, a candle gives off a nice glow and festive ambiance. But buying candles is a serious business. Most tapers, votives and tea lights are toxic. They are made from paraffin, a wax that is an end product in the refining of petroleum. When burned, they emit an assortment of harmful elements in their fiery fumes.

As if paraffin wax weren’t bad enough, a significant percentage of candle wicks have a lead core. Burning these wicked candles sure would take most of the romance out of a dinner by candle light.

The safe and sustainable option is to choose eco-friendly candles for your fall décor. Candles made from bees wax, soy wax and essential oils derived from plants and bearing innocuous wicks are readily available online and in many local stores, too. Due to increasing popularity, these once-pricey products are now very affordable.

Plastic and paraffin and pesticides, oh, my! It’s scary out there. But with a little planning and some savvy, your autumn celebrations can be safe and satisfying.